Instead of Facebook, call police, if there is a crime

If there is a crime or just something suspicious going on in Wayne, don’t complain on Facebook — call the police.

That was the gist of comments from council members and Police Chief Alan Maciag after some local residents were posting comments about crimes but not making any police reports.

“The police can’t be everywhere. I see online that people don’t want to make police reports,” Councilman John Rhaesa said. “Complaining online doesn’t change things. People get mad at the police, but no one makes them aware of the problem. It’s our community.”

If residents want to make the city better, Rhaesa said people need to let police know what is happening in their neighborhoods.

Other council members agreed.

“If you are having issues, the most critical thing is to call the police department. Make the call; the police might not be aware of the problem,” Councilwoman Susan Rowe said. “We need to be the eyes and ears and work together for a safe community.”

Part of the problem may be that residents have been hearing comments about the Wayne Police Department being understaffed. Police manpower has been reduced due to budget cuts and currently has 23 officers and is in the process of hiring three officers to fill budgeted positions open following recent retirements.

“There is misinformation on social media. If an incident occurs that requires police attention, we will come out and investigate,” Maciag said. “Sometimes things are blown out of proportion. We don’t monitor social media 24 hours. People need to call us right away.”

This conversation started, Maciag said, after something was posted on Facebook about an attempted breaking and entering.

“When it was brought to our attention (by council members), it hadn’t been reported,” Maciag said. “I think there is a perception we don’t have a lot of officers on the road. That’s untrue. We are short-handed, but we are still providing service to the community.”

As the department works to fill the three vacant funded positions, Maciag said officers are doing an excellent job continuing to provide service to the community.

“We’re getting the job done out there and providing services,” he added.